MANHATTAN, NY—Former producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sexual assault in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Monday, February 24.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of forced oral sex on his former production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, 42, at his apartment in July 2006, as well as raping actress, Jessica Mann, 34, at a hotel in 2013.
The jury consisted of seven men and five women. The jury came to their decision after hearing three weeks of testimony. Deliberation started on February 18. Of the many testimonies the jury heard, the jury was also familiarized with two of Weinstein’s accusers.
Mann, who had a five-year relationship with Weinstein accused him of forcing sex on her twice. One alleged accusation took place at a DoubleTree Hotel in New York on March 18, 2013, which led to this current conviction. The second alleged accusation is said to have taken place in Los Angeles, but this incident was not a factor in the trial.
Haleyi accused Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her at his Manhattan apartment on July 10, 2006, in addition to stating she had unwanted, but consensual sex with him about two weeks afterward at a New York hotel, which he was not charged for. Weinstein was found not guilty of other charges, such as predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein faces at least 5 years and up to 25 years on the count of first-degree criminal sex act for his assault on Haleyi, and up to 4 years on a third-degree rape count for the Mann encounter. The judge can consider running the sentences consecutively, for a maximum of 29 years. Sentencing for Weinstein is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
After the verdict was announced, Weinstein was handcuffed and taken to jail with his bail being revoked. An appeal by Weinstein’s lawyers is expected as early as Tuesday, February 25.
In addition to these charges, the former producer faces separate charges in Los Angeles. Weinstein was taken to Bellevue Hospital on Monday because of high blood pressure. He is scheduled to serve jail time at Rikers Island, a well known facility in New York.
Written By Brenda De La Cruz
